Late Arrivals Policy

Patients have a duty to attend pre-booked appointments promptly, and to consider logistical difficulties or the time involved in travelling to the surgery or answering a telephone call.

It is generally inappropriate to delay patients who have arrived on time to accommodate earlier patients who have arrived late, however where an opportunity develops (for example where an earlier patient has been seen quickly and the GP becomes “ahead of time”) it may be possible to see a late arrival in the gap.

The following general provisions will apply (average 10 min consultation):

• In all cases, the doctor will be sent a message advising them that the patient has reported late, the clinician is to provide the receptionist with the outcome regarding the need to rebook or when will be seen.
• Less than 5 minutes late: The patient will be marked as an arrival in their pre booked “slot”. The doctor or nurse will call them in at the first available opportunity. The patient should be advised of this and that there may be some delay while they are fitted in.
• More than 5 minutes, less than 10 minutes late: The patient will be advised that as they are a late arrival the doctor/nurse will have to see punctual patients first, The receptionist will need to check with the clinician to see if there is capacity to see them , The patient will therefore have a considerable delay (depending on the time). Or they may be seen during the surgery only if the doctor has an unexpected gap, in which case they will be called in. The patient should be encouraged to re-book.
• More than 10 minutes late: The patient has clearly missed the appointment and should be encouraged to rebook. Where there is an indication of clinical urgency then they may be added to the end of the surgery list. In all cases, the doctor will be sent a message advising them that the patient has reported late, and the notify the receptionist as to what the outcome regarding future appointments is.

The practice will not, at this stage, differentiate between patients who are persistent late attendees and others. This will be dealt with, should the need arise, by individual letter.

A patient that arrives late by 50% of the appointment duration will be classified as a DNA. i.e.

• 05 minutes late for a 10-minute appointment
• 10 minutes late for a 20-minute appointment
• 15 minutes late for a 30-minute appointment

Key Aspects of GP Late Arrival Policies

• < 5-10 Minutes Late: Receptionist will need to get clinician approval.
• > 10 Minutes Late: Generally, this is considered a missed appointment, and you will be asked to rebook.
• Urgent Cases: If you are late for a medically urgent reason, reception may check with an on-call doctor to see if you can be fitted in.
• Calling Ahead: While appreciated, calling to say you are running late does not usually change the policy if you are still over 10 minutes late upon arrival.
• Impact: Policies are in place to ensure fairness to other patients and to prevent the clinician's schedule from running behind

Actions patients to take

• Arrive Early: Aim to arrive at least 5–10 minutes before your appointment time. 
• Inform Reception: If you arrive late, inform the receptionist immediately on arrival; they will advise if you can still be seen or need to rebook.